Gardeners to lose their club after 50 years (From Evesham Journal)

Gardeners to lose their club after 50 years

9:00am Thursday 25th October 2012 in News

FOR 50 years, plant-loving Pershore people have been getting together at the town’s gardening club to share their love of horticulture.

But after reaching its half-century, the Pershore and District Gardening Club looks set to become a thing of the past, as it no longer has enough people to run its organising committee.

At the club’s last meeting, held on Thursday, September 27, the decision was made to close the club at the end of the year.

The president, George Featonby, who is one of four committee members leaving the club, said in the absence of volunteers to take over the running of the club, it would be forced to finish.

Ann Sheppard, treasurer, has been with the club for more than 10 years and said it was particularly sad as it was the club’s 50th anniversary year.

“The membership is tailing off,” she said. “There used to be 60 to 70 of us but now we have about 30 members. But no one wants to take responsibility or be on the committee.

I am leaving soon as I have moved out of the town, as are many other of the committee members.

“I think it is almost impossible to get five or six new committee members, which is what the club needs.

“We shall hold the October and November meetings and there will be a dinner for members at the Angel Hotel on Thursday, December 6.”

All remaining funds will be given to either a charity, local schools for gardening projects or to Pershore in Bloom.

The next meeting will be held at Wulstan Hall today at 7.30pm. For more information, call Ann Sheppard on 01386 750863.